Storage and transportation of cylindrical objects or packages, such as rolls of sheet material or wound packages of strand material, is a problem which faces many industries, such as the textile, paper products and fiber glass industries. These cylindrical packages are typically stored and shipped in vertically and horizontally stacked arrangements. During handling or shipping, these packages can shift position and contact each other and external objects. This contact can damage the packages, particularly wound packages of a generally brittle strand material such as fiber glass. Numerous packaging systems, such as those disclosed in the patents discussed below, have attempted to resolve this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,540 discloses a textile shipping package having horizontal and vertical separators between individual roving balls contained therein. The strand material of each roving ball has a leading end and a trailing end. The trailing end of each of roving ball is connected to the leading end of the roving ball thereunder. The trailing end of the bottom roving ball in a column is connected to the leading end of the roving ball at the top of an adjacent column to permit automatic transfer between roving balls during withdrawal of the strand material from the shipping package.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,619 discloses a shipping package system having tiers of vertically stacked rolls with pads between the tiers. Corner guards conforming to the surface of each corner roll extend between the pads. Generally rectangular corners are positioned at each corner of the package system.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,201,138 and 4,292,901 disclose cornerboards for a pallet having a load of rectangular stacked boxes thereon. The cornerboards consist of two boards fastened together at a right angle to each other. The cornerboards can include top cap members having a top cover and right angled side menders extending downwardly therefrom. The side members of the cap members include slots for receiving the cornerboards.
It is desirable not only to provide stability to the arrangement of packages, but to minimize the amount of packaging material and utilize recyclable materials.